This invention relates to rolling load bearing racks mountable upon truck or trailer beds.
Rolling load bearing racks of the type depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,601 issued to Jun. 19, 2001, to Norton, et al., are commonly installed upon floors of pickup truck or trailer beds. Upon such installation, it is desirable to maintain in place a pivoting load securing gate of the type common to pickup trucks. While such gates may suitably be removed, they desirably function, in unison with a rolling rack, as a step stand when opened and as a cargo space closure. However, upon opening of such truck or trailer gate, and upon full rolling movement of the rolling load bearing rack toward such gate, the gate may undesirably interfere with access to the roller carriage.
The instant inventive assembly solves the above described undesirable traits and features of common truck or trailer mounted rolling load bearing rack assemblies by providing alternately extendable and displaceable gate roller tracks, such tracks allowing full rearward rolling motion of the rolling load bearing rack to the outer lip of an opened truck or trailer gate.
A first structural component of the instant inventive assembly preferably comprises a rectangular base frame fitted for fixed installation upon a common truck or trailer bed floor. Preferably, longitudinal side rails of the base frame are fabricated to include xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d channel beams oriented so that their channels are laterally opposed and inwardly opening; the upper surfaces of the lower flanges of the xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d channel beams serving as left and right roller tracks. Preferably, a series of crossbeams or braces support, span between, and rigidly interconnect the left and right xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d channel beams. The crossbeams in combination with the xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d channel beams preferably form a rigid rearwardly opening box frame.
A second component of the instant inventive assembly comprises a roller carriage or rolling load bearing rack having left and right wheels or rollers oriented for rolling engagement with the channels of the preferred left and right xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d channel beams. As indicated in the above referenced U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,601 issued to Norton, et al., such roller carriage may advantageously be configured for loading, storage, and unloading of automobile glass panes. Such glass pane carrying configuration is representative of numerous adaptations of roller carriages for storage, loading, and unloading of various types of cargo.
A third structural component of the instant inventive assembly comprises left and right gate roller tracks, such tracks preferably having a length sufficient to span an opened pickup truck tailgate, an opened trailer tailgate, or an opened trailer side gate upon extension of such tracks from the rearward ends of the left and right xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d channel beams. Preferably, the left and right gate roller tracks are fabricated from lengths of structural rectangular steel tubing. Also preferably, roll stopping upturned flanges are fixedly welded to the distal or rearward ends of the gate roller tracks.
A fourth structural component of the instant inventive assembly comprises mounting means adapted for alternately positioning the gate roller tracks in first and second positions; the left and right gate roller tracks extending outwardly from the rearward ends of the xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d channel beams while in their first position; the gate roller tracks being displaced away from their outwardly extended positions while in their second positions. Said first gate roller track position facilitates extended rolling movement of a load bearing rack over an opened tailgate or side gate. The second position, wherein the gate roller tracks are displaced from their outwardly extended positions, facilitates closure of the gate.
A preferred mounting means for achieving such alternate first and second gate roller track positions comprises left and right hinges respectively interconnecting the forward ends of the left and right gate roller tracks with the rearward ends of the left and right xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d channel beams. Where such preferred hinges are utilized, the gate roller tracks may pivot to their outwardly extended positions. From such outwardly extended positions, the preferred hinges facilitate pivoting displacement to an inwardly extended orientation, clearing the gate for closing.
Suitable alternate gate roller track mounting means comprise fasteners such as slip sleeve and slip pin joints, pin and eye joints, xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d ridge and xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d channel joints, slide ridge and slide channel joints, pin and clevice joints, and quick disconnect couplings. Where such alternate mounting means are utilized, the first outwardly extended positions of the gate roller tracks are identical to those facilitated by the preferred hinges. The second displaced positions of the gate roller tracks may constitute any removed location or position of the gate roller tracks, provided that such positioning clears the gate for closure.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a truck or trailer mountable roller carriage assembly capable of rolling motion over an opened truck or trailer tailgate or side gate.
Other and further objects, benefits, and advantages of the present invention will become known to those skilled in the art upon review of the Detailed Description which follows, and upon review of the appended drawings.